Bluewave Bedding Ultra Slim, Gel-Infused, Memory Foam Pillow Review

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Unlike most pillows, thin choices aren’t a dime a dozen, and can be rather difficult to find unless you turn to online researching and sales. Many people don’t take the time to do so, and just choose from the limited selection at a local store – assuming that it will work out alright.

Unfortunately this is the worst thing you can do to help you sleep since your pillow choice is almost as important as your mattress choice when it comes to a good night’s rest.

Your sleeping posture and comfort preferences are what supports proper body alignment to keep you from waking through the night and interrupting vital sleep stages needed for your overall health.

The Sleep Judge team has purchased some of the best rated thin pillows in the current market to try out and determine if their hype was worth taking a closer look at. The Bluewave Bedding Ultra Slim Pillow was one of our top choice, and our honest review can be found below.

Breakdown of the Bluewave Bedding Company Pillows

The Bluewave Bedding Company was created to address the thin pillow problem specifically because of how difficult it is to find a quality thin pillow. They feel most bedding companies cater to an average, mediocre comfort standard in hopes to meet the needs of the most amount of consumers- while ignoring the needs of a select few. These select few are those in need of a thinner, flatter choice to ensure a healthy sleep posture.

Bluewave Bedding offers a limited line of pillows that are specifically constructed with stomach and some back sleepers in mind. These types of sleepers need a thin pillow to help keep their spine aligned through the night, and a proper resting of the surrounding soft tissues that often become strained and sore when the head and neck is improperly supported.

The Ultra Slim, Gel-Infused Memory Foam Pillow is offered in a few different profile heights, and firmness levels, to better meet the needs of the many different sizes and weights of their consumers. But despite these choices, all options are amongst the thinnest available on the current market.

Their pillows are also created with more than just head and neck support in mind. Your overall comfort is important to them, and this also includes sleep temperature, so all pillows are created with cooling technology as well.

Unpacking

The Bluewave Pillow comes in its own carrying case that you can use for storage or travel to help keep your pillow protected. Unlike many other memory foam products, this pillow did not produce any offgassing, a release of chemical breakdown from being in storage. Many things in your home are slightly offgassing at any given time, but it is not noticeable due to it not being in a concentrated form from storage. The fact that offgassing is not noticeable upon unpacking this pillow serves as a good indication of a high standard of safety in pillow construction.

Features & Benefits

Everyone sleeps differently than one another, and your personal comfort is dependent upon a variety of factors, namely your unique height and weight, body shape, and personal comfort preferences. What works for one person may not work for you, so it is important to review the features of any pillow you are considering to determine which benefits may work to your advantage.

This is an important step to take your time on, and we’ve provided the highlights and our personal experiences with this particular pillow below so you can better decide if this might be a pillow you should take a closer look at. A thin pillow is created specifically for stomach and back sleepers as mentioned above in order to provide proper spinal support when sleeping in these positions.

When your rest is compromised by an uncomfortable position this often results in a restless sleep. Overtime this also may result in both short, and long term stress upon your body, and may even affect your overall health.

Sizes

The BlueWave Pillow is a one size fits all product that measure 16×24 inches. This is smaller than the standard, and acceptable 20×26 inches normally found within the sleep industry. This smaller sized pillow is fairly typical of a thin pillow choice as stomach and back sleepers often do not need the extra width for nocturnal movements as many side and combination sleepers do.

I found the pillow to be the perfect size as a stomach sleeper as I often like to sleep closer to the edge of the pillow. With this pillow it was easy to lay within the middle as well due to the construction of the pillow and slightly smaller size.

Loft Choices

The loft of this pillow sits at a very slim 2.5 inches of height, making it amongst the thinnest currently offered within the sleep industry. Due to the memory foam, this pillow is able to compress even further without bottoming out, and providing the support needed to keep your head resting in comfort rather than on a flat, thin surface.

This particular pillow is also offered in multiple lofts to better meet the needs of varying body shapes and sizes, as well as to better support back sleepers who may find the 2.5 inch loft a bit too low for their personal needs. Also offered is a 3.25 inch and 4 inch loft which may be better utilized by back, or even many side/combo sleepers as the higher support is better suited for proper neck and head positioning.

Stomach sleepers truly do need the thinnest pillow possible, and should try to lay their head almost directly upon the mattress. Unfortunately this also can cause many pressure points upon the head, and so a pillow may be needed for true comfort- especially for women who have earrings in. I was very happy with how flat my head was able to lay but still be comfortable, especially since I do wear a set of earrings and my ear lays flush against any surface I lay upon through the night.

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Gel-Infused Memory Foam

Memory foam is constructed to allow for weight contouring without sacrificing support. First introduced to the sleep industry in the 1980’s it is now a popular material to use in many products due to this quality. Foam is exactly why a pillow of such thinness can be created without a bottoming out effect occurring.

This foam contours well to the shape of your head without making you feel as if you have a deep sink, probably due to the overall thinness of the pillow. It also allows for pressure point reduction but keeps a firmness about it that provides a slight uplifting support to keep your head from dropping through to rest on the mattress.

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Sleep Comfort Options

Overall I would say this pillow is a firm plush that provides a soft surface for this comfort I described above, but a supportive, cushioned bottom. If this seems too soft, or too firm, the pillow is also offered in both an extra firm and plush choice to allow for personal preferences.

A firmer choice may not contour as easily and also not compress as much which may be better for back sleepers. The more softer surface is focused for stomach sleepers who may need just a slightly deeper contour, although I found the firm plush to compress quite a bit- leaving about only a half inch of material between my head and the mattress.

Cooling Claims

The gel infusion of the memory foam is a great way to combat the heat retention than many foam constructed products do have. Due to the compressive nature of foam, which closes off cellular structure, good airflow can occasionally be a problem- and cause heat from your body to be retained within the contouring of the material itself.

Gel materials are able to help draw heat from the materials they are in contact with due to the process of heat conduction. In this case, when your warmer skin surface comes in contact with the pillow, you may feel a cooling sensation as it draws heat so as it equilibrate the temperature between the two surfaces. This infusion is not meant to produce a cool touch, per se, but it is used to help regulate temperature and prevent excessive heat buildup.

I honestly felt no cooling sensation myself, but I also never noticed any sort of heat retention, even when sleeping in a warmer ambient temperature. The pillow slept at a comfortable temperature through the entire trial, which supports the claims of temperature regulation.

Safety Claims

The foam used in this particular pillow is also CertiPur-US Certified. This means that the materials used in the foam construction contain no harmful heavy metals, and chemical emissions are below acceptable safety standards. Seeing as there was no offgassing present at any time, my opinion is that this is a well constructed, safe product.

Dual Sided Shaping

This pillow is also shaped for optimum comfort with dual shaping for personal preference. A curved side is offered with gentle rounding, and the other side is flat for both stability and a second comfort choice. I did try out both sides to see if I could feel any difference, and honestly could tell no difference between the two. I felt no pillow shifting through the night, nor did I have any comfort issues.

Bamboo Washable Cover

Memory foam is not washable due to its constructive nature, but the thick bamboo cover is. Bamboo is often used as a natural fiber choice due to its breathable properties that helps you to sleep cooler. It also helps to wick moisture away from the surface of your skin to keep you sleeping cooler. Naturally hypoallergenic, it also resists odors and allergens, and provides a good protective cover to the pillow, and washes well without losing any of its properties.

The zipper is well placed as well to avoid any snagging, ad the seams are double stitched for durability. The foam pillow inside is also encased in a 100% cotton, breathable thin cover that is not removable, although you can spot clean as needed. Removing the pillow from the outcasing should be done carefully through, as it is a very snug fit.

Spot Clean Pillow Only

The synthetics used within the creation of memory foam are not moisture friendly, and any liquids spilled upon it should be cleaned up through a blotting method as soon as possible. It is safe to use a gentle fabric spot cleaner as well when needed, but any long term exposure to moisture can create a break down of the material and cause issues with the support the foam lends overtime.

Consumer Reviews

Understandably this is a popular pillow with stomach sleepers due to how thin it is without sacrificing support. Reducing neck and shoulder tension, helping to produce a more comfortable night’s sleep, and a cool experience are all claims made concerning this pillow. It also never seems to go flat or become too firm with compression overtime, and seems to hold its shape well.

Complaints surround it being too firm or too thin, although the construction is often praised. It is also mentioned by a few that it sleeps hot, but I will not here that in order to take advantage of the breathability of the bamboo, or the gel-infused foam, you also have to use a low thread count, breathable pillow case, which many people are unaware of. High thread count materials and many synthetic weaves do not allow for a free flow of air and can cause issues with pillow cooling claims.

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3-Year Limited Warranty

The BlueWave Bedding Company offers a 3-year limited warranty on all their pillows. This covers all constructive and material defects for 3 years, but doesn’t cover any issues with normal wear. The company will repair, replace, or refund at their sole discretion.

Through the associated sellers, you can often get a 30 day refund as well – which helps provide a guarantee of comfort with a full refund and hassle free, free shipping on your return if the comfort is not to your liking.

My Trial Experiences

I’m a fairly short, average sized woman and sleep on my stomach- so I was excited to try this pillow out as I have found very few that provide true excellent, stomach sleeping comfort. This was a great choice for me as I often wake in the morning have pushed aside any pillow I had been using to sleep flat on the mattress. I never did move off this pillow this pillow, and found myself sleeping well through the entire night.

Stomach Trial

As I hinted at above, this was a great choice for me. I found the pillow to be an awesome choice when sleeping on my stomach that cradled my head almost at mattress level, and allowed me to sleep with proper back alignment. The pillow also provided slight neck support as a stomach sleeper has to turn their head to the side through the night. This creates some stress on the soft tissues of the neck, and also a slight gap between the head and shoulders.

I loved how this pillow provided a soft resting surface for my neck to rest. And I was also able to take advantage of the comfort of the pillow to rest part of my arm underneath it while I slept- which is another personal comfort preference I occasionally have. Thicker pillows often make this uncomfortable to do as it will raise my head too high.

Back Trial

As a back sleeping choice I also found it to be a great choice, although a heavier body may find it a bit too thin- which is why having variable pillow lofts to choose from is a nice detail offered by the company. When sleeping on your back you want to keep your head level with your shoulders and also provide support to your neck for proper rest. This was a perfect choice for me as my head was comfortably cradled, and my neck supported.

Side

I went ahead and decided to add this in as a few reviews mentioned that this pillow served well for side comfort as well. Since I can occasionally sleep on my side, I decided to give it a try. I did find it to be initially comfortable, but overall was too thin and plush for proper neck support for too long.

However one of their thicker versions, or layering upon another thin pillow, may make it the perfect side sleeper. It’s soft and comforting in all the right places to fill the space between your head and neck and keep your head resting comfortably. Overall I wouldn’t recommend it as is unless you are very small and lightweight, or are a child.

Other Uses

Pillows are also useful for much more than head and neck support. They also serve to help support your body in other ways to help with overall body posture. A pillow between the knees, under the hips, or under the knees can help reduce strain to the lower back, and help keep joint pressure from becoming a problem. The thinness of this pillow combined with the plush support provides an excellent choice of pillow for these uses.

Second Opinion

Like most pillows I’ve loved, I like to get a second opinion to determine how well my personal experiences may translate to other’s comfort choices. For my second trial run I choose a stomach sleeper of a larger body type who often sleeps hot and generally sleeps flat upon the mattress or sleeps with a body pillow rather than true head support.

They loved this pillow as well and found it to be a comfortable choice for stomach sleeping as it slept cooler than other memory foam choices they had tried, and kept their head at the proper level without lifting it too high. As a back sleeper it just wasn’t lofty enough for them and it was noted that a slightly firmer surface, or an extra inch or so would have made it a perfect height for this.

Overall Thin Pillow Rating: 4.8

This is truly an excellent stomach sleeping pillow, which can be quite difficult to find without an extensive search of fairly limited options. The low profile, memory foam construction that doesn’t bottom out, combined with temperature regulation all help create a better night’s sleep. I definitely would recommend this pillow for all of the above reasons, and since the customer care and 30 day guarantee is deal sweetener, you really don’t have much to lose when trying it out.

The pillow is also an excellent choice to place under your hips if you are a stomach sleeper. It is thin enough to not raise your hips too much, and it is also conforming enough to keep from creating pressure points. When you sleep on your stomach this is a great way to take stress off your lower back- which is often the most problematic area for this position over time.

The only reason this pillow lost any stars is due to the fact that it really doesn’t necessarily serve more than one sleep position at a time- but to offset this you do have a choice to pick from. Back and stomach sleepers are almost always one or the other, so finding which low profile works best for you is going to be the decision that each consumer will have to make for themselves.

Conclusion

If you have been on the hunt for a great thin pillow, The BlueWave Bedding Ultra Slim Gel-Infused Memory Foam Pillow is a choice you should definitely take a closer look at. Providing you with a detailed breakdown of all the benefits of the many features it has hopefully has allowed you to review this pillow in a subjective manner to decide if it is a product you may want to take a closer look at. The variability, and choices offered by the company, creates some great options for you to consider for personal comfort- which is the first step for a better night’s sleep.